[Demon] Tsetsiliya's Silo

[alpha lyrae]

______________________ ONE __ Puppies, Puppies Everywhere __❧__r o l e p l a y

______________________ TWO __ The Secret Garden __❧__r o l e p l a y

______________________ THREE __ The Invitation __❧__s o l o

______________________ FOUR __ Interweb Blues __❧__s o l o

______________________ FIVE __ Scarentine Charity Auction Sign Ups __❧__r o l e p l a y

______________________ SIX __ Don't Bring Me Down __❧__r o l e p l a y

______________________ SEVEN __ Learn To Be Rational __❧__s o l o

______________________ EIGHT __ The Demon Party __❧__r o l e p l a y

______________________ NINE __ Student Scarentine Auction __❧__r o l e p l a y

______________________ TEN __ Scarentine Party __❧__r o l e p l a y

______________________ ELEVEN __ Track Team Try-Outs __❧__r o l e p l a y

______________________ TWELVE __ A Little Behind __❧__s o l o

______________________ THIRTEEN __ The Runt Of The Litter __❧__s o l o

______________________ FOURTEEN __ We Are The Same, You & I __❧__r o l e p l a y  

[alpha lyrae]

❧____Puppies, Puppies Everywhere____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya finds out that social networking pays off.

Puppies, Puppies Everywhere

Tsetsiliya had become a bit of a web addict as of late. Perhaps with the lack of new plants to bring in (she had hopes of finding something interesting while enrolled in Professor Cadmus' course), she'd been idling much more than she would have liked. Regardless, that led her to Shehk's Groanspring and the call for free puppies.

Well that was an offer she simply couldn't refuse!

Navigating the halls, she searched the doors for the name she was looking for. And luckily, the one she wanted was standing open, a little tree-shaped pine air freshener hanging from the knob. What brought a small smile to her face was the sight of the Celestial Hounds themselves peeking around the door. This must be it!

"H-Hello?" She knocked on the door frame. Apparently she had arrived just behind a very tall student with another puppy at his side. "M-My name is Tsetsiliya. I am coming in regards to your Groanspring?" She entered the room with a hopeful smile and red-tinted cheeks; meeting new people always made her so terribly nervous.

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____The Secret Garden____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya meets a gardening gryphon and perhaps finds a new gardening buddy.

The Secret Garden

Tsetsiliya had been careful since the day of Pavel's death (not that she was mourning too badly, as the poor thing made great fertilizer for some of the others around her room). The window had remained firmly closed, and her newest plants had remained confined to the stiff air of her dormitory. To be honest, she felt a little bad about it, but it was all in their best interest.

What was also in their best interest was to move on, so she was spending the blustery afternoon in search of something new for the windowsill planter. It had remained empty since her plant's cremation (for lack of a better word), so it was best to fill the vacancy while the soil was still rich.

Not that she tried to dwell on it too much, but the sudden fixation (or larger fixation, really) on her plants was also to get away from the events of the spin the bottle game she had happened upon a few nights prior, but that was not the real point of the adventure. Or so she was telling herself.

The search had brought her out towards the edge of the school grounds, and she walked along the perimeters hoping that something would catch her eye. She'd already scoured around the edge of the demon dorms and many of the plants there had now found a home in her room, but since that task had finished, she was looking for something.. well, something.

It was to her surprise that she stumbled into a square of tilled ground, and sprouting from that earth were an array of different plants. Tsetsiliya's eyebrows shot up. Somebody gardens here! But the question was who?

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____The Invitation____❧

The letter had been stuffed under the crack of Tsetsiliya's door when she had come home from class. Lucja fluttered from her dresser as the door was pushed closed, and the poludnica leaned down and picked up the letter. Letters like this rarely came to her (her grandmother used different stationary, in a bright shade of yellow and sealed with an orange wax seal), but there was no mistaking that this was from a demon. She crossed the room to her desk and removed the letter opener, prying the top open to slide out the letter inside.

-----------------

The excitement and elation she was feeling at the second invite was soon washed over with nerves. What kind of dress to wear? How should she do her hair? Should she wear make-up? Would Gabrian like that?

Despite the fact that she never normally entertained such whimsical thoughts, for the first time in a while Tsetsiliya felt like any other teenage ghoul. Bad deghoultant experiences be damned.  

[alpha lyrae]

❧____Interweb Blues____❧

What to do, what to do?

Tsetsiliya's nerves had jumped to maximum caliber now that she had an actual.. an actual date to the dance. And it was Gabrian, no less. She had fussed and fretted all day, throwing outfits this way and that in order to find something suitable. Because of her upbringing, she had a vast number of gowns and dresses at her disposal (thanks to the number of deghoultant balls she was forced to attend), but none of them seemed the right match. There was always the option of buying another dress, but really, who wanted to take up the closet space? She was not a clothes hound by any sense of the term, and to her, the dresses she had now were more than enough (too much so, in fact). But she wanted to look just right for the party, and the soon-following Scarentines Auction and Dance (charity was a good reason to dress up, at least she could justify that).

Moreso for the party though, for reasons she refused to face herself. She was not a ghoul of fancy whims, who dreamed of getting swept off her feet by a knight in shining armor (or in the current situation, a nix in very elegant clothing). It was silly, and she knew it - he had a ghoulfriend (a very nice one at that), and he was merely her friend. Why couldn't she get the very notion out of her head? The fact that she had been daydreaming so much was enough to make her tear through her dresses and send her on this fretting fit in the first place.

After about an hour of digging, she came up with two dresses. One was a long number from her deghoultant debut, white with black spiderweb lace patterns adorning the skirt. The other was.. considerably shorter than she was used to, and would reveal her legs (her most hated body part), but it was suiting to this form, and was cute in a way. Oh, what to do, what to do? She paced about the room, trying to narrow it down. Oh, which would Gabrian like the most on her? She only wished she had somebody to ask.

... But she did. Her pale eyes fell on the PreC on her desk, and like a flash she was in her seat and logged into Groanspring. A vague little question should give her some nice, anonymous feedback, yes? Even so, something like this was so terribly nerve-wracking. What would people say? Would they answer her seriously, promptly?

The question posted, Tsetsiliya waited a few moments.. before her foot started tapping nervously and already her hand flew to the mouse to refresh. The students had taken to Groanspring quickly, judging by how quickly replies were coming. Her little question of "Short or long?" had a lot of people gravitating towards long.. that was a bit of a relief on her part. Perhaps Miss Skitter Legs wouldn't make her "debut" for a long while now.. not until she had grown a little and her legs didn't resemble toothpicks.

However, some of the guys were leaving comments that made her.. very confused. Why were they chuckling? She didn't see what was so humorous about short or long. Merely an innocent question, and she had only asked what pleased most upon first thought.

Another refresh revealed another ghoul's reply. It was the water djinn, Hadiyya, she read her name was. Like most of the people she had spoken to (so to speak) on Groansping, she was another ghoul she had not met in real life yet, but had seen around the campus. Perhaps she could shed some light on what was going on?

Tsetsiliya's lips turned down at the edges in a confused frown. What did that mean? She had thought the question was simple enough. Perhaps that needed some clarification. Luckily it didn't take long until she had an answer.

Connotations? What kind of connotations were there? She had only asked which words were more pleasing.. what could somebody possibly make of that?

Tsetsiliya's already-pallid face paled just a little more. Oh Jack.. innuendos? She had heard that term somewhere before, perhaps in passing during her days at Madam Morrigan's. Was an innuendo what she was thinking it was?

Any lack of color in her cheeks returned in full force with Hadiyya's answer. Of course, that explained the chuckling from a few of the guys. Oh, how embarrassing! She was so happy Hadiyya had pointed it out to her, otherwise she would have gone on, completely unawares of what she had done. A thank you was certainly in order!

Tsetsiliya slumped back into her chair, burying her face in her hands. She had made such a fool of herself. What in the world was wrong with her?

Stupid, stupid, stupid!  

[alpha lyrae]

❧____Scarentine Charity Auction Sign-Ups____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya really needs to work on reading things before she puts her name in.

Scarentine Charity Auction Sign-Ups

It was by luck that Tsetsiliya caught a glimpse of the pink-clothed chupacabra as she wandered between the classrooms. Actually, it was likely that the girl's outfit had something to do with that, as it was rather hard not to notice it. Perhaps it was morbid curiosity as to why the track team captain would be wearing something like that, but the girl seemed to have a list on hand. What were these sign-ups for?

Tsetsiliya wandered over, nudging her way quietly through the small crowd that had gathered. She had learned her lesson from the incident with the spin the bottle that it was important to read things before jumping in, so this time she took care to read the list.

Auction? There were a number of names already! She had heard Belladonna in the crowd just as she approached mention that it was for charity.. well, Tsetsiliya could get behind that! She fished in her bag for a pencil and immediately wrote her name down. This was certainly for a good cause, so she didn't mind spending a few pumpkin seeds. It would certainly make her parents proud!



"P-Pardon me," she asked Temes with a small smile. "What kind of goods are to be auctioning?"

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____Don't Bring Me Down____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya's bully-free time at Amityville comes to a close.

Don't Bring Me Down

Tsetsiliya was starting to have second thoughts. They started to dwell in her mind after she had left the booth a few minutes prior, and now while canvasing the halls, they did nothing but fester. The auction had certainly seemed like a good idea, but what if nobody bid on her? It would be terribly embarrassing. It would be a failure for a good cause, but still.. she couldn't get the sinking feeling to disappear. What was mostly concerning her was what her parents might say. That is great news that you volunteered for something so noble! But why would none bid on you, Słoneczka? Surely something must have gone wrong!

Disappointing her folks and the embarrassment were almost enough to make her want to turn right back around and cross her name off the list. Almost. If Tsetsiliya could say something about herself, it was that she prided herself on her persistence. When she set herself to a task, she would see it through to completion, no matter what the outcome. So she would stick it through, no matter what, if only for her own tiny ego.

The hubbub that had been raised by her simple question on Groanspring made her cheeks burn brightly as well. A certain boggart's answers made her feel even more ashamed - was she really that dense? She had always been used to solving her problems by herself; trying to get help was a new experience. But no, she had to believe that she was doing something that would work out. For once she had to be confident in her actions!

If only that nagging feeling would disappear.

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____Learn To Be Rational____❧


In which Tsetsiliya has to remind herself that she is being a silly ghoul.

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____The Demon Party____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya attends a party with a very handsome nix that she somewhat fancies don't listen to her, she doesn't do whimsy.

The Demon Party

As much as Tsetsiliya did not like to be late, she felt that tonight was a token exception. She wouldn't let on to Gabrian how she started to have doubts when he didn't show up on time, sitting on her bed in her black and white dress, hair let down for the first time in ages. Perhaps she didn't know him as well as she thought, and it would be like just another day at Madam Morrigan's where she didn't learn her lesson and had fallen for somebody's ploy again. But no, no - he seemed very much like a nice boil, so something assuredly had gone wrong. She also wouldn't let on how relieved she was to find it was the boil's Death Charm that had caused the delay, and not by a change of heart on his master's part.

Oh yes, she was terribly, terribly relieved.

"I do not mind." Tsetsiliya smiled at Gabe and in turn her hand in his arm gave it a small squeeze of agreement (or it could have been nerves, who knew with the ghoul?). She was happy now that she had been to so many deghoultant parties, and as such had a gown fit for this occasion. One gloved hand kept the hem just high enough for her to walk without tripping. Despite that, she, too, was admiring the way the demon common area had been transformed in such a short amount of time. Their hostesses had really done a fine job, but it wasn't surprising, as their kind had a flair for this kind of thing. Her doubts about the evening were still quietly milling about in her brain, and amidst them she picked out Gabe's mumbled words. She blinked in surprise. Awkward, him? Surely not!

"I-I am thinking it will be fine," she replied, trying to assure herself as much as him. "At least.. I am thinking so, since I am also not, you can say, the party type?" A small grain of truth amidst her nervous words. She was secretly hoping things wouldn't be terribly awkward, but if anything she expected to be the awkward one out of the two of them. But perhaps another grain of truth couldn't hurt to give them both some assurance. "I-If it is counting, you are the first person to ask me to a party? So it is my first time going with somebody else who is asking me.. other than my cousin."

If the blush to her ears was any indication, it firmly cemented her position as the awkward duck in this party of swans. Her words had missed the mark again. Luckily they had arrived at last, and immediately her eye was drawn to the first row of gifts as well. "I-It is very nice of them to be giving to us favors.." Her eye was soon caught, however, by a twirl of purple on the dance floor. There were a few people dancing already, two of which were actually a lovely shade of purple - come to think of it, she couldn't see which one had initially caught her eye, but she immediately registered what they were doing.

Dancing. It'd been a while since she'd done anything but stumble across the dance floor. Her gaze flickered to Gabe. Were they expected to dance as well? She didn't want her escort to find out how terrible she was at dancing. No wonder she disliked deghoultant parties.

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____Student Scarentine Auction____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya is taken to the auction block and gets a bit of a surprise.

Student Scarentine Auction

Tsetsiliya had no idea what in Jack's name had possessed her to do this. Her bare knees visible just underneath the short hem of her dress were quaking. Well, the ballgown was for the demon party (and fulfilled her Groanspring query), but she had already purchased the short dress. Might as well use it, right?

And skin sold, judging by the auction so far. Not that her legs were anything to look at, being skinny toothpick-like examples. Then you had ghouls like Sin whose legs were definitely worthy of envy. Still, she felt very out of place in such a revealing outfit (although nothing like what Sin was wearing, Jack no!). Already the succubus had a bid war going. But as the bids continued, nobody seemed to notice the other demoness on stage.

Poor Alcyone. Tsetsiliya's lips turned down as the first round ended and the next auctionees were brought up, the water demon was held firmly by the gnome. She didn't know the ghoul, but she did know how awful it would feel not to be bidded on, seeing as that was probably what was going to happen to her.

Well, she did have some pumpkin seeds, and she had said she would help someone in a bad situation..

Staying tucked away in her corner of the room, she raised her hand and waved it firmly, trying to keep the rest of herself as hidden as possible.

I'm raising my hands in the air! All the players know that I'm layin' down 105 on this shawty Alcyone

She knew that she would like to be bidded on, but she had her doubts (there were some very beautiful ghouls up for sale). She was sure they'd figure out something to do together. At least now, Alcyone wasn't stuck by the gnome. Even if Tsetsiliya didn't get bidded on herself, she felt a little better.

But if the tingling in her arms and legs was any indication, maybe that momentary assurance wasn't entirely true.

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____Scarentine Party____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya ends up drifting through the whole party and feeling rather sorry for her date.

Scarentine Party

Tsetsiliya took West's late arrival in stride - he had warned her, so there was no reason to put any thought behind it. She kept her hand looped through his arm and admired the corsage he had given her as they entered the party; for not wanting to be here, he sure had done things properly. While she admired his stubbornness and was not familiar with the real reason he was at the party, she was stuffing away the pity she felt for him. Especially stuck with a date like her - surely if somebody had forced him to come, he would have picked one of the more attractive ghouls on the stage. A bit of bad luck on the poor demon's part, she figured. But to distract from these masked apprehensions, a ghoul dressed in crimson called and waved to them, moving over to join them.

"Hello!" Tsetsiliya felt relieved to see a familiar face, especially one she associated with much fondness. The "handsome man" part brought a pale pink blush to her face (if only Carthusia knew the circumstances!). "Oh, t-thank you! You are looking quite lovely as well." She gave the duo a small smile. While she was not familiar with the boil whose arm Carthusia was holding, Tsetsiliya appreciated the fact that they had come as a matching pair. The two were very good-looking, and seemed like they suited each other nicely.

Just then West asked her if she were hungry, and she blinked at the sudden shift in conversation. "I-I.. uhm.. I am thinking so? O-only if you are going that way, of course!" Her hidden sympathy came to a full swell inside her, but she did well to keep it concealed. She already felt bad enough for the wrath demon coming to this party (seemingly) against his will, and wanted to ease it for him if she could. "I.. I guess. Anything is being fine.." The color continued to darken in her face, and she could practically feel it radiating from her.

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____Track Team Try-Outs____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya must go, go, go for the gold in the Beijing Olympics!

Track Team Try Outs

Tsetsiliya was all nerves again when she saw the notice for track team tryouts on her Groanspring. She was determined to do it, seeing as she had missed out on track at her last school (due to certain circumstances). But she wouldn't chicken out this time, dear Jack she wouldn't! It had certainly taken some coaxing on her part though - the auditions for the school play hadn't gone that well, after all, but Tsetsiliya was not one to let nerves bar her completely from things she wanted to do.

It was going to be her day, she had to go, go, go!

So, with hair tied in a high, long ponytail and legs clad in her overly loose gym shorts, she followed those who wandered down to the track field and proceeded to begin her warm ups. The sign-up sheet she kept tucked in the pocket, ready to be presented as soon as she was properly warm.

Form

Student Name: Tsetsiliya Pavlova
Specie/Race: Demon
Emblem:
Year: First

Trying Out For: All events
Any Special Needs? None really

Player: haliekins
Level of Activity: Active at all times that aren't designated to study or class - she prefers to be active over all else!

 

[alpha lyrae]

❧____A Little Behind____❧

Why were they taking so long?

Tsetsiliya stared in the boudoir mirror doubtfully as she set to work on her hair. This was the way she began every day - the same routine that she clung to in her previous school, as well as now. Awaking with the dawn, showering, brushing and braiding her hair (which took quite a considerable amount of time, thanks to the length of it), before covering it with her head scarf. During this period of time, her eyes watched her reflection critically, and each time her gaze was drawn towards the small horns that curled just above her bangs. Today, she reached up to touch them, these tiny curled knobs that remained mostly hidden beneath her scarf. They weren't very noticable, being so small, and truly they were a point of embarrassment for the poludnica. Perhaps enough embarrassment to frustrate her.

Why, why, why?

There were a lot of things that frustrated Tsetsiliya about herself: her nerves, desperately cleaving to others who were nice to her, her lack of confidence, to name a fair few. But the most frustrating thing was how she had the wonderful inability to excel in anything that truly mattered. "Truly mattered" in the context of what her family wanted for her, anyway. The small scareling size of her horns was one of these indicators for her that she had thus far failed in working hard enough. What an embarrassment. Her mother and father both had impressive sets of horns, her mother's with an elegant curve to them that only made her seem so much like the upperclass demoness she knew she was. But it was her grandmother's horns she was most impressed with: weathered and old, certainly, but they were long and curled at the ends. They had such character, and from all the stories that her grandmother told her from her learning days, Tsetsiliya only hoped hers would become like that someday.

According to her mother (only supplemented by her grandmother when she was in an agreeable enough mood with her daughter), a poludnica's horns lengthen the stronger their abilities become. Mastery of their age shifting, control over their FEAR, a wellspring of confidence and accomplishment were all the the key to horn growth. But her few accomplishments were not amounting to much, but then again it was still early. She had plenty of time. From the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of something she had set in the back corner of her room, and she smiled.

The pendant that would become a Celestial Wolf sat in a small shoebox she had set aside, resting under a heat lamp and with the bottom of the box was cushioned by a towel. She had been wondering for a while why she had not yet woken up to see the face of a Celestial Wolf watching her, eager to play outside. Thinking about it, she was rather certain that this one would be the last of his pack to grow - but why was that? She had certainly been doting enough attention on him, keeping an eye out, ready with food and water and plenty of love. She had all the love of the years she had spent dog-less, after all. But it wasn't his fault he was the runt of the litter. After all, she was still growing as well.

The skelephone on her bedside table rang. The vibrating moved it slowly across the surface and Tsetsiliya stumbled over to grab it. The ends of her hair flapped behind her, still waiting to be braided, as she reached the table and made a grab for the phone. The display dial showed her father's name, and she gave it a slow, hesitant smile. Over the past few months, she had been less diligent about keeping in touch with her parents. Her parents always insisted on a daily phone call, which she excused missed ones by saying she had been busy. It was her grandmother who had been there for her, reaching her through the poludnica's greater like of sending letters, and responding so thoughtfully not only with advice, but with special treats as well. Drawing a breath, she flipped the phone open.

"< Hello, Tsetsiliya speaking? >"

"< Tsetsiliya? This is me. >" Her mother's voice rang out clearly from the receiver, even though it wasn't necessarily quiet. Something about her mother's tone was offputting, and different from normal. Even given the fact that she had heard her mother in a range of different emotions - she knew her scolding voice, her bragging voice, her happy voice - this one was different. She sounded tired, snappish, and a little upset. The young ghoul swallowed the nerves that were dancing in her stomach. "< We need to talk. >"

"< A-Alright.. but, what is the m-- >" Tsetsiliya's question had not even escaped her lips before her mother cut in, curt as always in her anger.

"< Your father and I have found your letters to your grandmother. >"  

[alpha lyrae]

❧____The Runt of the Litter____❧

Tsetsiliya heart slipped within her ribcage and landed somewhere in the pit of her stomach, and for a moment she just stared at the phone in her hands. They had found her letters? How? What had happened?

"< I.. what is wrong with that? >" She countered, albeit shakily. She knew what she had written in those letters. She had talked of the friends she had made in monsters, undeads, and ghosts (among others). She asked her grandmother for advice rather than her own mother and father. She had admitted how much her gardening had flourished since moving here, a hobby which both mother and father found detestable.

"< What is wrong, Tsetsiliya, is that you are not doing your work. You are out there cavorting with.. with all kinds of rubbish! >" The small demoness could almost see her mother now, hands in the air as she paced the front foyer in her anger. But at calling these friends of hers "rubbish", a fire lit within the poludnica's belly.

"< They are not rubbish, Mother. They are my friends! >" It was an argument in vain, judging by how her mother cut her off so suddenly.

"< Then you are sadly mistaken on what a friend should be. >" She sighed. "< Tsetsiliya, you cannot entertain these fancies anymore. Public school is obviously not the right choice for you. You are wasting yourself there -- >" Tsetsiliya stood up from her bed, fists balled.

"< T-that should be my decision to make! >" the ghoul cried, before she remembered who she was talking to. Her bravado faded away into a whimper. "< I can prove it to you.. I can show you that I will learn, and.. and grow -- >"

"< It is time to come home, Tsetsiliya. >" Her mother snapped, sounding exasperated and drained. "< This has gone on long enough. >"

"< B-But Mother -- >"

"< Stop this. >" This time it was her father that the bitter words came from, and he too sounded tired, weary, overall disappointed. "< You are not to act this way. It is undignified, Tsetsiliya. You are a proud demon of Pavlov descent. It is long past time that you act like it. >" These words were not the ones she was used to from her father, as her mother normally took over the role of scolding, but that was what made the medicine taste even more bitter. "< We expect to see an improvement, Tsetsiliya. If none is seen in two months, then we are going to bring you back. Do what you must if you want to stay. >" There was no room for argument, but instead the other end went silent.

She stared at the phone in disbelief.

Two months.. ? How could someone like her turn things around in two months.. ?

Shaking hands balled into fists on her knees, and she let the phone drop to the floor. It landed on her discheveled sheets, recently rolled off of the bed for the sake of laundering, but she couldn't care. All she could do was feel that tell-tale but not oft-known tingling behind her eyes.

And then she heard the low whine from the corner of the room. Her head snapped up, trembling mouth slackening open as she met the golden gaze of the Celestial Wolf sitting in the broken shoebox. The heatlamp had been bumped out of the way, casting the dog's long shadow on the walls. Her eyes were bleary and she blinked a few times to refocus them and push that horrid pressure back to where it belonged, with the rest of her secret pains. The dark, starred wolf stared at her quizzically from the corner of the room, sitting on his haunches. It watched her with an unerring gaze, but not one that was unkind - merely curious. With her still-trembling hand, she patted her knee and called in a weak voice, "Przyjść." The ears perked up, and she patted again, a little more insistently. "Przyjść. Come, Casimir." This time, the wolf rose to its feet fully and padded across the room to her, and Tsetsiliya's heart, for a moment, returned to its previous position with a soft thump. She had just said a name that had sprung to her mind, but the minipet responded to it so willingly. Her hand rested on the wolf's head, and the creature did not move beneath it. She stroked him carefully, hesitantly. He was a lot smaller than she had expected, certainly smaller than its parents. She suspected that he was likely smaller than his brothers and sisters as well, but that knowledge was something that reached out to her.

"< We are small, Casimir. >" The words were matter of fact but the quiet tone of bitterness peppered them. "< But we know who we are, do we not? If anything, at least I have you. >" Her strokes on the animal's head moved down his back, where her fingers curled in his fur. Her arms circled the dog's neck, and she rested her face against his head. Casimir made a faint grunt of surprise but otherwise did not react, merely letting his master rest against him. A soft, warm drop splashed his muzzle, and this time the wolf almost did pull away. But it was only the poludnica's tears. Casimir whined once and licked the tears from her cheeks, but still the flow was unceasing.

"< W-w-we are small, >" the poludnica sobbed, encircled arms tightening around his neck. "< W-we a-are s-s-small to-together.. >" The word "runts" could not find its way from her throat, and instead she continued sharing company with her tears. "< I-I do not want to leave.. >"  

[alpha lyrae]

❧____We Are The Same, You & I____❧
To be addressed here


In which Tsetsiliya finds common ground with someone she did not expect.

We Are The Same, You & I

Tsetsiliya's spirits could not have sunk any lower.

It should have occurred to her that her parents would check on her letters to her grandmother; that's how they were (and unfortunately with her grandmother's love of the drink, that left certain parts of her room privy to seeing eyes once the crash occurred). They had to interfere in every aspect of her life and make sure things were going just how they had wanted it - that their little Tsetsiliya would be their perfect little demoness and do as she was told. When they found out she wasn't the top of the class, nor the most popular, nor dating anybody.. she could practically feel their disappointment radiating from the skelephone's receiver that morning.

"It is undignified, Tsetsiliya," her father had said, "You are a proud demon of Pavlov descent. It is long past time that you act like it."

The room had felt so confining that even her beloved plants and pets couldn't console her. She did the first thing she always did when she was upset, which was run; she could hear Casimir whine and scratch at her door as she left. She didn't pay much attention to where she had gone or how long she had run, but soon enough she found herself out of breath and in the courtyard between the classrooms. Tucking herself away in a small alley between the buildings, she pulled her knees close.

She picked the dirt from beneath her fingernails as students milled between the classes. It was undignified for a demon to get her hands dirty. It was undignified for a demon to allow herself to be bullied by a lesser monster. It was undignified for Tsetsiliya to be who she was.